A seamstress on TikTok transforms thrift store clothing into outfits that look brand new
- After making blankets for years, Caitlin Trantham decided in January that she was going to shift to transforming thrift store finds into brand-new outfits.
- She shares her creations on TikTok, where her videos have thousands of views.
- Trantham spoke to Insider about her process and what she plans to do with all of the pieces she's created so far.
About seven years ago, Caitlin Trantham taught herself how to sew and started making blankets.
In January, she decided to dive into transforming thrift store finds after getting into vintage fashion and finding that buying it was either too expensive or hard to find.
"I've always been a thrifter and I started going to the stores and looking for those types of clothes," she told Insider.
At the time of writing, Trantham's family was in the middle of moving to Hawaii due to her military husband's Marine Corps post getting changed, but she used to live in the small town of Jacksonville, North Carolina, where she would often shop for clothing at the only two thrift stores in the area: Goodwill and The Salvation Army.
"I look for pieces that are unique and have design features I might not be able to find in fast-fashion at my price point," Trantham said.
"I look for anything from a fun print to an older, vintage-style print, or embroidery or embellishments," she added. "After I find something that fits style-wise, I always looking at material, buttons, and zippers to see if they can be changed or moved."
"Or sometimes, I'll just go in and look for the dress that might be sitting on the rack for months," Trantham said.
Trantham doesn't like to spend more than $10 on each piece when she goes thrifting
And $10 is on the more expensive end. She explained that dresses at her local Goodwill in Jacksonville were $4, evening dresses were $6, and skirts were $3. But at The Salvation Army, prices were a bit higher, and that's why she gave herself a budget of $10.
"The budget is a huge thing because I don't want to spend so much money that I'm not saving anymore," she said.
After purchasing the pieces she wants to transform, Trantham will sometimes spend money on thread, buttons, zippers, and closures if the materials are needed.
"I really try to use everything that's in the dress. For example, if it's a maxi dress, I'm trying to use every piece of that specific clothing item," she said.
Trantham admitted it can take her anywhere from 2 hours to 3 weeks to complete a transformation, but on average, it takes about 2 days.
When it comes to sharing her transformations on TikTok, Trantham is very careful with how she refers to the original piece because she doesn't want to offend anyone.
"I don't like to say something was an ugly dress because everyone has different tastes, and I do not want to put anybody's taste down," she said. "I have eclectic taste and I know my taste is not going to be the same as someone else's."
Trantham said she's transformed about 20 dresses so far, and she plans to donate them to other military spouses
"We have the Marine Corps Ball every year, so there is program that donates ball gowns and fancy dresses," she said. "My plan for the end of this year is anything that I have that is fancy is going to get donated, and hopefully somebody else will be able to use them and love them."
Trantham's TikTok videos have also gotten thousands of views, and she has no plans of stopping anytime soon.
"It's something that I found I'm really passionate about and never thought I would be," she said.
"With being on a platform like TikTok, I really want to push people to think about sustainability in fashion," Trantham added. "The stuff that's already out there that can still be used."
"We all know the effects fast-fashion has on the environment, so I'm really hoping to inspire more people to look at things that are in thrift stores and reuse them," she said.
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